Glass Lens.In order to sort out the blurry visions of the naked eye, one must use a glass lens to see clearly. Transcendentalism is that magnifying glass. For people to realize true life, they need to find their inner self. Many writers during the Transcendentalist era such as Whitman and Emerson have found these glass lens and used it to discover the inner light. Transcendentalism isn’t restricted to a small group of elites; anyone can find this and achieve enlightenment. |
This religious movement mainly began with Ralph-Waldo Emerson with his essay, Self Reliance. In this, he pushed for independence and peace of the mind, scorning human society for it’s burdening dependence on each other and unnecessary outside desires. This photo represents Emerson’s main argument of the truth that’s inside. The colorful bright light greens of nature are inside her mind while the dull gray background symbolizes society. The person seems much more crystallized and clear compared to the background, symbolizing how the Transcendentalist lens must be used to find the beauty in nature and inside. Through the lens, the photo only reveals one person up close, representing the other idea of independence over human companionship in Emerson’s writing. In his essay, Emerson wrote, “Every great man is a unique. Shakespeare will never be made by the study of Shakespeare. Do that which is assigned you, and you cannot hope too much or dare too much.” Individuality, nature, and freedom of the mind are deeply treasured within this philosophical movement, for without those traits, there would be no light as shown in the photo. Self-Reliance struck a chord into the minds of many youthful dreamers, including Thoreau.
Henry David Thoreau was captivated by Emerson’s works and went on to carry out his own Transcendentalist findings. In his book, Walden, Thoreau described the contentment and beauty he had found in nature which he failed to find in human society. This artwork symbolizes his days within nature beside the pond, deep in his mind and forgetting civilization. The tree covered globe represents the glass lens of Transcendentalism with its clear water and floating leaves. In the Pond section of Walden, Thoreau states, “All our Concord waters have two colors at least; one when viewed at a distance, and another, more proper, close at hand.” This quote depicts the difference between a far glimpse and a close inspection of life. Most people would probably steal a quick glance at the illustration, say it’s a nice piece, and walk away. However, Transcendentalists would take a moment to peer further into the canvas, finding wonders within the swirling leaves floating along the waters of the glass lens.
Looking
Robert Kelly, 1935 "... I took my little magnifying glass and looked too close. Forms became colors and colors were just arrays of dots and between the dots I saw the rough bleak storyless legend of the pulp paper empty as the winter moon I had looked right through, when I wanted a universe that sustains looker and looking and the seen forever, detail after detail never ending. And all I had found was between. But between had its own song: Find it in the space between-- it is just as empty as it seems but this blankness is your mother." |
Nature and deep thought did not appeal to the whole masses at the time, or even in modern day. This poem, Looking, by Robert Kelly can be interpreted as society taking a glimpse through the Transcendentalism glass lens but seeing only lifeless “arrays of dots” and emptiness in nature and the philosophy (Kelly 4). However, the Transcendentalists asserted at the end, saying “it is as empty as it seems, but this blankness is your mother” (Kelly 17-18). The line could be interpreted as them claiming that nature and the soul might seem uselessly bland on the outskirts; however, your true calling and nurturing companion is your mother, Mother Nature. Walt Whitman was one of the leading Transcendentalists who was a good example of this. He dug deep into the mind, going against the mainstream view of many ideas in order to reveal the other side of the story. For instance, many Americans looked down on the new immigrants at the time, but Whitman, viewing them through Transcendentalist lens, admired these courageous people for their hard work and dedication to the nation. In his writings, he emphasized the ideas and objects around us that may have been minuscule to us, claiming the misconceptions of our “necessities”, such as technology, are actually distractions to what really matters the most; peace, seclusion, nature, and thought.
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The Transcendentalist movement was a way of fighting against our progressively growing world. Even though it has lost its effect in modern times, there are many ideas and ideologies within this era that should be preserved. Their philosophies have sorted out the blurs through their clear lens, magnifying the core of the soul and the meaning to be.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
- Emerson, Ralph Waldo, and Gene Dekovic. Self Reliance. New York: Funk & Wagnalls, 1975. Print.
- Glass Lens. Digital image. Blogspot.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Feb. 2016. <http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-e1V64r7W3pM/UWMqB3myd3I/AAAAAAAAIQk/enWBDDm2L7E/s1600/NewRakedLeavesii_zps74ad2d4b.jpg>.
- Globe. Digital image. Wordpress.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Feb. 2016. <https://meghanbodenstein.files.wordpress.com/2013/05/securedownload-21.jpeg>.
- Poets.org. Academy of American Poets, n.d. Web. 18 Feb. 2016. <https://www.poets.org/poetsorg/poem/looking>.
- Thoreau, Henry David. Walden. Philadelphia, PA: Courage, 1990. Print
- Within My Mind. Digital image. Blogspot.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Feb. 2016. <http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-6OHwHTHsNWQ/T98QLtY75iI/AAAAAAAAAys/VgdG470-FOU/s1600/Images+Within+My+Mind.jpg>.